A multi-racial pantheon in Portuguese India

From the start of the Portuguese colonisation in the 16th century, the production of religious images made from ivory developed in this "Rome of the East" that was Goa. This production could be described as proto-industry due to its size. In effect, we can only be surprised by the abundance of these “Indo-Portuguese” representations which can be found today in museums, at antique dealers and in auction rooms, in Portugal, of course, but also throughout Europe and on the other side of the Atlantic, in Brazil and Mexico. But what do we understand these Indo-Portuguese images to be? Bernardo Ferrão de Tavares e Távora, one of the first people to have studied them, gave the following definition: "They are sculptures made in Asia by indigenous craftsmen, initially under the aegis of the Portuguese missions, copying Western designs, taking inspiration from them or recreating them with their own variations”. This lead to the creation of multi-racial objects which tell the story of the meeting of two worlds – the Western world and the Asian world.

The Good Shepherd

Detail of a good shepherd pedestal

Detail of a goos shepherd figure

The back of the goos shepherd figure

Detail of the base of a good shepherd figure

The good shepherd

Two good shepherds

Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

Detail of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

Virgin and Child

Virgin of the Immaculta Conception

Praying Saint

Virgin

Virgin and Child

Blessing Jesus

Baby Jesus, Savior of the World

Baby Jesus with skull

Baby Jesus

Baby Jesus in his bed

Christ on the Cross

Detail of the Christ on the Cross

Detail of Christ from the back

Saint Sebastian

Detail of Saint Sebastian

Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Anthony of Padua

Two Pilgrim Saints

Small Couple

Detail of Christ from the back

XVIIIe siècle, ivoire, H : 24 cm, L : 23 cm

This piece displays a real concern for realism: the body is strong and muscular and traces of blood are visible on the back. The knees are sometimes blood-drenched. However, the perizonium (material which covers Christ’s hips) is simple and elegant. Without decoration, the movement of the draped fabric is created by the deep grooves of the folds, and the knot is simply tied.